The National Defense welcomes Pittsburgh Tribune Review journalist Carl Prine to the program. Mr. Prine brings us the truth about the U.S. Military's wounded warrior transition programs, and his experiences in uncovering what many in the United States had little knowledge of.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
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I was medically discharged in Dec 09 from the WTB at Fort Bragg. I just listened to your podcast today and I want to thank Mr. Prine for his work. There are many problems that need to be addressed in the WTB program, however I believe that I was an exception to the majority of problems. I will give a few practical examples.
ReplyDelete1) The first problem I noticed is the cadre, many of them at Bragg came to the WTB to avoid deployments. My Squad leader was an excellent NCO but she had a lot on her plate with some 'special' case soldiers who needed a lot of guidance and discipline.
2) Nurse case managers, many of my fellow wounded warriors had spent countless hours upset at the treatment they received from these case managers. Once again I was lucky, my NCM was a captain and we got along great, however he also had a few problem soldiers to deal with.
3) Soldiers. I've noticed that there are some general differences in how wounded warriors behave in this program based on their status.
A) Active Duty wounded warrior( non TBI, NON PTSD). If they are facing a medical discharge, many of these soldiers are concerned about what they will do after the Army, as that is usually all they know. Many of these people have issues during this transition.
B)Reserve Comp wounded warrior( non TBI or PTSD) This is my category (NCO as well). These troops seem to handle the program better, most likely because they mostly have an established civilian life to return to. i.e. job, school, family already in place.
3) The troops suffering from PTSD and TBI were held to the same standard as the last two groups, this is a major failure considering their conditions are unique. Cadre typically would berate these troops for missing formations, having manic attacks or forgetting information. All of which would be caused by their conditions.
Overall, my experience with the WTB was excellent, however that was due to me getting lucky with my cadre and NCM, and my own drive to return to my civilian life. Many other troops needed more assistance and they are not getting it.
wayneman61108@yahoo.com